No. 22 Miami aims to continue monumental turnaround against SMU

Seedings in the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference tournament will be in focus when surging No. 22 Miami visits dangerous SMU on Wednesday in a key late-season clash in Dallas.

The Hurricanes (23-6, 12-4 ACC) have won two straight and six of their past seven games. The successful stretch propelled them into the AP Top 25 for the first time since Dec. 11, 2023, when they were No. 24.

The Hurricanes are one win shy of tying the school record for regular-season victories.

Miami's latest victory was a 76-54 home shellacking of Boston College on Saturday. Tre Donaldson scored 15 points and Tru Washington added 14 for the Hurricanes.

Ernest Udeh Jr. had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Noam Dovrat scored a season-high 12 points off the bench as Miami parlayed a 19-2 run into a 36-19 halftime lead and waltzed to the finish line.

"We're getting into that part of the season that matters most," Dovrat said. "And that's where we need to take another step forward and just be who we can be and who we need to be as a team. We just keep working hard and trying to get better every day to be in the best possible shape we can when the money is on the line."

The Hurricanes are among the nation's top turnaround stories. Under first-year coach Jai Lucas, Miami's 16-win improvement from last season is the largest turnaround nationally and its 23 wins are already the most for a first-year coach in program history.

"These are the games in early March that you have to win and have to find ways to win if you want to compete at a high level," Lucas said.

The win over Boston College bolstered Miami's chances of earning a double bye when the conference tournament starts next Tuesday in Charlotte. In third place with two games left to play, Miami is one win behind Virginia and one win ahead of both Clemson and North Carolina.

SMU begins the week in a tie for eighth place in the league standings and is barely clinging to a first-round tournament bye.

The Mustangs (19-10, 8-8 ACC) head home after a disastrous trip to the Bay Area that saw them drop games to Cal last Wednesday and to Stanford on Saturday. SMU allowed the most points and lost by the widest margin of its season in Stanford's 95-75 dismantling.

Boopie Miller led SMU with 26 points and Jaron Pierre Jr. added 21.

SMU played without guard B.J. Edwards, the team's third-leading scorer behind Miller and Pierre. Edwards is doubtful to return Wednesday after injuring his ankle in the loss to Cal.

"The Cal game was challenging -- we beat ourselves missing 15 free throws and some easy buckets down the stretch," SMU coach Andy Enfield said. "(Against Stanford) we were a little sluggish after a five-day road trip, and we played like it. No excuse. We just didn't play very well."